Work clamp loading device for sewing machines



July 17, 1962 R. J. Ross 3, 44,

WORK CLAMP LOADING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Sept. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Roger J. Ross WITNESS I BY ORNE Y R. J. Ross 3,

WORK CLAMP LOADING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES July 17, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 25, 1960 R m m m Roger J. Ross WI TN ESS WWW 3,044,425 Patented July 17, 1362 Filed Sept. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 58,110 Claims. (Cl. 112-113) This invention relates to a sewing machine of the type adapted to stitch articles such as buttons, hook-eyes, and the like to fabric panels and having for that purpose a clamp for holding the article during the stitching operation. More particularly, this invention relates to a device for automatically loading the article to be attached into the clamp between successive sewing operations.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device for automatically loading an article into the work clamp of a sewing machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article loading device for a sewing machine work clamp which is operated by the motion of the work clamp incident to the sewing and release of the preceding article.

A furthere object of this invention is to provide a device which will automatically load only a single article into the work clamp of a sewing machine between successrve sewing operations.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 represents a side elevational view or the sewing head portion of a sewing machine having the clamp loading device of this invention applied thereto,

FIG. 2 represents a fragment of fabric having stitched thereto a hook-eye of the type adapted to be dispensed by the loading device of this invention,

FIG. 3 represents a head-end elevational view of the sewing machine illustrated in FIG. 1, and

'FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 11 denotes the bracket arm portion of a conventional sewing machine casing which overhangs a work supporting bed portion 12 of the sewing machine casing. A needle 13 carried in the bracket arm for endwise reciprocation cooperates with a looptaker (not shown) in the work supporting bed to concatinate threads in the formation of stitches. The work to be stitched is held relatively to the endwise path of the needle and is shifted relatively thereto to provide a pattern of stitches by means of a shiftable work clamp, indicated generally at 14 in the drawings. The work clamp includes a lower fabric supporting jaw 15, an arched clamp bracket 16 carried for movement with the lower fabric supporting jaw, and an article gripping upper jaw 17 carried by a shank 1S slidable vertically in the arched clamp bracket. A leaf spring 19 on the arched clamp bracket 16 biases the upper jaw 17 downwardly against the lower jaw and a pin 20 on the shank 18 overlies an arm 21 secured on a clamp opening rod 22 journaled in the sewing machine bracket arm which, by connections to a conventional knee press or treadle (not shown), may be raised to lift the upper jaw 17 of the work clamp.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the upper jaw 17 of the work clamp is adapted to grip and support at the stitching point a flat sheet metal garment hook-eye, as indicated at 23 in FIG. 2. To grip the hookeye 23, the upper jaw is formed with spaced fingers 24 formed with a transverse slot 25 into which one hookeye may be accommodated.

A leaf spring 26 secured on the upper jaw 17 by the screws 27 is formed with a plurality of blades 28 extend ing into the space between the fingers 24 and having downturned free extremities 29 adapted tosnap over the hookeyes resiliently to secure the hook-eyes in place in the upper jaw 17. It will be appreciated that the upper jaw 17 may be shaped to accommodate a wide variety of sizes and shapes of articles to be secured by stitching to a garment panel.

The mechanism of the sewing machine for shifting the work clamp 14 is not illustrated in the accompanying drawings but may be of the type disclosed in the United States patent of Hale et al., No. 2,822,771, February 11, 1958, to which reference may be had. Preferably for attaching a hook-eye 23 as illustrated in FIG. 2, the work clamp is first moved transversely straight across the sewing machine work supporting bed and bracket arm to form a straight row of stitches 30 in the fabric alongside the hook-eye, following which the work clamp is jogged parallel to the bracket arm and concurrently moved transversely back across the sewing machine work supporting bed to form the zigzag stitches 31 alternately inside and outside of the hook-eye.

The article loading device of this invention is carried on an end cover plate 40 secured by screws 41 to the bracket arm 11 of the sewing machine casing. An angle bracket 42 is slotted, as at 43, to accommodate screws 44 adjustably securing the angle bracket to the end cover plate. A supporting member 45 is adjustably secured to the angle bracket 42 by means of a pivot screw 46 and a clamp screw 47 which passes through an arcuate slot 48 in the angle bracket 42. A block 49 is secured by screws 50 to an :outturned portion 51 formed at the lower extremity of the supporting member 45, the portion 51 being outturned to support the block 49 substantially parallel to the upper jaw 17 of the work clamp, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The block is formed with an upwardly open groove 60 corresponding in width to the width of the hook-eyes 23 to be loaded and in depth corresponding to the thickness of one of said hook-eyes. The groove 60 provides a track along which the hook-eyes are transported to the upper jaw of the work clamp and is preferably aligned, by means of the adjustments provided by the screws 44 and slot 43 as well as the clampscrew 47 and the arcuate slot 48, with the hook-eye accommodating slot 25 in the finger 24 of the upper jaw of the work clamp when the upper jaw of the work clamp is raised.

Secured to the supporting member 45 by screws 61 is a chute 62 having internal dimensions corresponding to the outline of the hook-eyes 23. The chute 62 is disposed above and in registry with the track groove 60 and is adapted to constrain, in substantially vertically stacked relation, a supply of hook-eyes for loading into the work clamp. The hook-eyes may be maintained conveniently in vertically stacked relation for delivery into the chute 62 on a rod 63 conforming to the dimensions of the eyes of the hook-eyes. The rod 63 may be hung on a pin 64 extending from a support bracket 65 secured by screws 66 to the end cover plate 40 and sustained on the pin 64 by a spring clip 67 secured to the bracket 65. The

rod 63 will be centered in the chute 62 by the hook-eyes on the rod which will proceed along the rod and into the chute under the influence of gravity. It will be appreciated that the hook-eyes may be p-reassembled on the rod 63 and when the hook-eyes on one particular rod Disposed in the track groove 60 is a pusher blade 70 which is constrained in the track groove by a cover plate 71 secured to the block 49 by screws 72. A pin 73 rising from the pusher blade is embraced by the bifurcated arms 74, 75'- of a lever 76 fulcrumed on a shoulder screw 77 threaded into the block 49. A coil tension spring 78 secured at one end to the lever 76 between the fulcrum screw 77 and the bifurcated arms 74, 75 is connected at its other end to the clamp raising arm 21 and serves to bias the pusher blade 7 along the track groove 60 toward the work clamp. The lever 76 is preferably formed with a rounded free extremity 79 disposed in the path of travel of the downturned extremity 80 of a bar 81 secured by screws 82 to the arched bracket 16 of the work clamp.

During each sewing operation, movement of the work clamp laterally of the work supporting bed to form the article securing stitches will carry the lever 76 counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4, to withdraw the pusher blade along the track groove 60 away from the work clamp and "out from beneath the vertically stacked hook-eyes in the chute 62. The bottom hook-eye in the chute 62 will then drop into the track groove blocking the path of the pusher blade 79 in response to the urging of the spring 78 tending to return the blade 70 towardithe work clamp. The bifurcated arm 75 of the lever 76 is extended and formed at the free extremity with a finger grip 83 by which the lever '76 may be turned manually if desired.

To prevent movement of the hook-eyes along'the track groove 60 in response to urging of the pusher blade 70 while the upper jaw of the'work clamp is lowered, and to release the hook-eyes for insertion of one into the upper jaw of the work clamp when the upper jaw of the work clamp is raised, a latch spring 90 is secured by screws 91 to the block 49. The latch spring 99 is formed with a downturned hook-engaging or latch lug 92 disposed to engagein the eye 'of a hook-eye in the track groove 60 and constrain the hook-eyes in the track groove from movement therein. The latch spring 90 is also formed with a lug 9'3 overhanging the block 49 and disposed in the path of the upper jaw 17 of the work clamp. When the upper jaw 17 of the work clamp is raised, therefore, the latch spring 90 will be elevated removing the lug 92 from the hook-eye with which it is engaged and freeing the hook-eyes in the track groove for movement in response to the pusher blade 70 toward the work clamp.

Operations 7 Assuming the chute 62. and the track 60 to be empty of hook-eyes and the sewing machine to be at rest with the work clamp lowered, a rod'63 on which stacked hook-eyes are arranged is first inserted into the chute 62 and suspended on the pin 64 of the bracket 65. The upper jaw 17 of the work clamp is then raised and in so doing the latch spring 90 is elevated freeing the track groove 60 for movement therein of hook-eyes toward the work clamp. At the same time the hook-eye accommodating During operation of the sewing machine the movement of the work clamp will shift the bar 81 laterally thus automatically turning the lever 76 counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4, and retracting the pusher blade from beneath the hook-eyes in the chute 62. The bottom hookeye in' the chute will then drop into the track groove 69 and the lug 92 will constrain the pusher blade 74 in the position illustrated in FIG. 4 while the sewing operation is completed.

When the upper jaw 17 of the work clamp is raised and the previously stitched hook-eye is withdrawn out of the front of the work clamp, the latch lug 92, being raised out of engagement with the foremost hook-eye in the track groove 60, will release the hook-eyes and permit the spring 78 to shift the foremost hook-eye into the upper jaw of the work clamp.

Before the succeeding stitching operation begins, the upper jaw of the work clamp may be lowered and reraised as many times as is necessary to obtain the desired registry of the hook-eye with a garment fabric without additional hook-eyes being advanced into the upper jaw because the spring 78 and pusher blade 70 will be retracted automatically only during the sewing operation. If, however, a hook-eye is accidentally withdrawn from the upper jaw of the work clamp before sewing begins, the loading device may be operated manually by means of the finger grip 83 to insert a hook-eye in the upper aw.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention what I claim herein is:

1. Ina sewing machine having a casing, stitch forming instrumentalities and a work clamp carried on said casing, means for actuating said stitch forming instrumentalities, and means for shifting said work clamp and said stitch forming instrumentalities relatively to each other to produce a pattern of stitches, said work clamp including a lower jaw and an upper jaw, article gripping means on said upper jaw, and means for raising said upper jaw for removal and replacement of work fabrics between said jaws, means for automatically loading articles into said article gripping means on said upper jaw comprising a block formed with an article accommodating track, means supporting said block with said track aligned with said article gripping means on said upper work clamp jaw in the raised position of said upper jaw, means for introducing articles in seriatim in said track, stop means carried on said block and engageable with an article in said track to prevent movement of articles in said track toward said work clamp, an article advancing member shiftably supported on said block for reciprocation lengthwise of said track, means on said article advancing member for engaging an article in said track during movement of said article advancing member slot 25 in the upper clamp jaw fingers 24 is aligned with the track groove '60. By means of the finger grip 83, the

lever 76 is turned counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4, allowing the bottom hook-eye in the chute 62 to drop into the track groove -64 whereupon the finger grip 83 is released and the hook-eye in the track groove is advanced by the spring 78 toward the work clamp. When movement of the finger grip 83 is repeated a second time, the spring 78 will advance two hook-eyes in the track groove and the foremost hook-eye will be advanced by the pusher blade 70 into the slot 25 of the upper jaw of the work clamp. The free extremities' 29 of the spring blades 28 will hook over the'hook-eye in the upper jaw of the work clamp resiliently securing the hook-eye therein. The machine is then readied for operation and when the upper jaw 17 of the work clamp is lowered to 7 toward said work clamp, spring means biasing said article advancing member toward said work clamp, means effected by raising of said upper jaw for shifting said stop means out of engagement with an article in said track, and means efiected by said means for shifting said work clamp and said stitch forming instrumentalities relatively to each other for retracting said article advancing member a distance greater than that occupied by a single article in said track.

2. In a sewing machine having a casing, stitch forming instrumentalities including a needle carried for endwise reciprocation in said casing, a work clamp shiftably supported on said casing for movement transversely of the path of endwise reciprocation of said needle to define a pattern of stitches, said work clamp including a lower jaw and an upper jaw, article gripping means on said upper jaw, and means for raising said upper jaw for removal and replacement of work fabrics between said jaws, means for automatically loading articles into said article gripping means on said upper jaw comprising a block formed with an article accommodating track, means supporting said block with said track aligned with said article gripping means on said upper work clamp jaw in the raised position of said upper jaw, means for introducing articles in seriatim in said track, stop means carried on said block and engageable with an article in said track to prevent movement of articles in said track toward said work clamp, an article advancing member shiftably supported on said block for reciprocation lengthwise of said track, means on said article advancing member for engaging an article in said track during movement of said article advancing member toward said work clamp, spring means biasing said article advancing member toward said work clamp, stop release means effected by raising of said upper jaw for shifting said stop means out of engagement with an article in said track and means efiected by shifting of said work clamp trans- -versely of said needle path for retracting said article advancing member a distance greater than that occupied by a single article in said track.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which the stop means comprises a shiftable element carried on said article dispensing member, a stop finger depending from said member, means biasing said member downwardly into a position in which said stop finger is disposed in the path of said articles in said track, and a lip formed on said element and disposed to overlie said work clamp for engagement therewith when said work clamp is raised.

4. A device as set forth in claim 2 in which the means for introducing articles in seriatim in said track comprises a chute for constraining a plurality of articles in vertically stacked relation above said track and in which said article advancing member comprises a plunger movable to a position beneath the articles constrained in said chute and in alignment with only the lower most article emerging from said chute into said track.

5. In a device as set forth in claim 2, a lever fulcrumed on said article dispensing member, means operatively connecting said article advancing member to one arm of said lever and means carried by said work clamp for movement tarnsversely of the path of needle reciprocation therewith and into engagement with another arm of said lever to retract said article advancing member during the formation of said pattern of stitches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Broderson Dec. 29, 

